Nutritional Quality of Breakfast Cereals on the French, Belgian and Luxembourg Markets: Which Cereals for Children?

Autor: Martine Robert, Françoise Martin, Annick Xhonneux, Françoise Mosser, Elisabeth Favre, Celine Richonnet
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Nutrients, Vol 16, Iss 16, p 2701 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2072-6643
DOI: 10.3390/nu16162701
Popis: Objective: Analyse the breakfast cereal market to help to help healthcare professionals to guide parents in choosing healthy products for their children. Study design: Observational study of the breakfast cereals available in the biggest supermarkets, discount stores and organic chains in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Methods: An analysis of nutritional qualities using three indicators: Nutri-Score (initial and modified version), WHO Europe nutrient profile model, and Nova. Results: 645 products were listed; 559 excluding duplicates. A total of 28.8% are marketed to children and make up the group of “children’s” cereals, 62.1% of cereals are Muesli, Oats and other cereal flakes (MOCF), and 54.9% are “organic”. The study shows that “children’s” cereals have a poorer nutritional profile: a higher proportion of Nutri-Score D, higher sugar content, lower fibre content, less conformity with the WHO Europe nutrient profile model and a higher proportion ofultra-processed. On the other hand, MOCF and “organic” products generally have a better nutritional profile: less sugar, more fibre, more Nutri-Score A, less Nutri-Score D and fewer ultra-processed products. Conclusions: Parents should therefore opt for cereals that do not bear any reference to children on the packaging.
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